Abstract
Our lories are housed in 24 ft. x 74 ft. houses covered with chicken wire, with a wide aisle down the center and a narrow aisle on each side. The cages are 2 ft. wide x 6 ft. long x 3 ft. high, made of 1 in. x 1 in. welded wire. Cages are placed on pipe stands running the length of the houses, with cage end and nest boxes facing the center aisle. The birds are fed from the center aisle and watered from the outside aisles. Three 6 in. bowls are provided, two on the nest box end in a bump-out for food and one on the other end for water. The bump-out tends to prevent escape when feeding and helps to keep food bowls clean. The nest boxes are L-shaped, 4 in. diameter by 10 in. vertically by 10 in. horizontally for the smaller lories, with an inspection door on the dark end of the box where they lay their eggs. For the larger lories, the nest boxes are 8 in. diameter by 20 in. vertically by 20 in. horizontally.
Breeding lories are given nectar prepared with fruit and a commercial powder mix along with dry lory pellets. The nectar is· prepared by using peeled papaya, apple, orange, mango, banana, sweet potato, carrot and other fruit in season. Peeled fruit is placed in a blender along with warm water and blended to a liquid; add Lories Delight Dry Diet and a teaspoon of Spirulina by Earthrise for two gallons. This nectar is fed to each pair according to their daily needs. In the second food bowl we keep "Lory Select Pellets" by Pretty Bird at all times. For pet birds, we do not feed nectar, but the Lory Select Pellets and an occasional piece of fruit. In weaning babies and for pet birds we use a soak and cook mixture made of soy beans, mung beans, red wheat, rice and barley which is brought to a boil for three minutes, rinsed and added to chopped mixed vegetables. To this mixture we add Prime Vitamins by Hagen and Spirulina.
Our birds generally breed all year around in cages eight inches apart with no visual separation between cages making sure no two of the same species
are adjacent. We believe the sight of copulation encourages others. Here in our location, the season runs from March to September and a lesser season from October to February. Our lories lay two eggs per clutch, three to five clutches per year. We allow them to feed their babies for two weeks and then handfeed SoAi (fat) handfeeding formula by Pretty Bird with blended fresh papaya, Prime Vitamins and Spirulina.
Of course, there is always the trouble pair that doesn't incubate or destroys their eggs. While some people foster eggs, we place them in a Grumbach incubator, finding that the vibration is slight, so that we are able to incubate
from day one. We incubate our other .--------------hookbills so any lories hatching out fit
right into the program. We produce
an average of eight babies per proven
pair of lories per year.
When considering lories and lorikeets there is a dazzling rainbow of colors and variety of sizes from which to choose. Our larger lories of preference are the Black Lory Cbalcopsitta atra, the two Black-capped Lories Lorius lory and Lorius lory erythrothorax, and the Yellow-backed Chattering Lory Lorius garrulus flauopalliatus.
The Black Lory is very affectionate, an excellent talker and considered the most gentle and loving of all the lories, never showing any inclination to bite.
The Black-capped Lory is a breathtaking bird. It is loving even to the point of the male wanting attention whenever the female has eggs in the nest. The female has been known to exit the nest for a word or two from her keeper! These birds make . excellent pets and maintain rapport even during breeding. They are excellent talkers and will delight you with their antics, jumping up and down like monkeys to get your attention.
The Yellow-backed Chattering is the most commonly found of the Chatterings and makes a wonderful addition to your home. They are excellent talkers and bold little clowns. They love to hang upside down while swinging and land
with a bang in front of you.
Their care in the home has been made easier and less messy with the addition of pellets. We use the new Pretty Bird lory pellet with fruits and vegetables for the "inside" birds and lory pellets, fruit and nectar for the aviary birds. Lories have a real zest for life and exhibit that in their enjoyment of almost any kind of fruit and most vegetables. They play with their pellets by floating them in their water before consuming them. Of course, no seeds for these babies.
After eating, the love to take a bath and always have a fresh smell and clean appearance.